Hodges, who lives in Los Angeles, recently returned from a trip to Italy, where the cast won Leonardo da Vinci’s Special Horse for Best Acting Ensemble at the Milan International Film Festival.

“We were up against stiff competition too, and they ended up giving us the best ensemble, an award they only give every several years when a film has good acting across the board,” said Hodges, who traveled to Italy with his mother, Connie Hodges, and girlfriend Natalie Stalter, who worked on costume design for the film.

“Sand Castles,” directed by Clenet Verdi-Rose, tells the story of a family in a small town that falls apart after their daughter is kidnapped and what happens when the girl mysteriously reappears 10 years later. The movie made its Indiana debut in April at the River Bend Film Festival in South Bend. Members of the cast and crew, including Hodges and actor Clint Howard, hosted a special screening with a question-and-answer session with the audience. “Sand Castles” won awards for best feature and audience choice at the festival.

The film has been screened at festivals in New York, North Carolina, Washington, Iowa and Florida, among other locations. The movie recently was part of an independent feature series at the Screen Actors Guild Foundation in Los Angeles.

Hodges said he plans to continue traveling to film festivals with his movie for the rest of the year into early 2015. One of the film’s next stops will be June 8 at the famous TCL Chinese Theatre in the heart of Hollywood at the Dances with Films Festival.

“It’s amazing,” Hodges said. “I’m just very fortunate that the universal theme of the film is being recognized everywhere, from an older gentleman in small-town Iowa to a younger crew in Italy. People from all walks of life are seeing this film.”